2009 Season
Laois finish strongly to beat Leinster.
The Laois first team beat Leinster Cricket Club in Rathmines on Sunday with an emphatic finish to their Senior 2 League match.
Batting first, Laois were solid throughout, finishing on 208 runs for 9 wickets after their 45 overs. Openers Masood (31) and John Ozenbrook (55) got the Laois side off to a good start, reaching 70 runs before the loss of the first wicket. This was well supported in the middle order with Matt Auret (20), Zeeshan (30 not out) and captain Jonny Yasin (35) all contributing a score that looked like just about enough!
Laois began their defence a little loosely and allowed Leinster race to 20 runs off the first 3 overs. A bowling change brought Armand Smit into the attack and wickets began to fall steadily as Asif and Smit bowled a steady line and length. When Leinster’s fourth wicket fell with the score on 80, Laois looked in control. However, as catches started to go down, Laois struggled to make any further breakthrough, and Leinster slowly regained control and looked unbeatable with the score on 190 for 5, needing only 20 runs to win off the last 5 overs.
What happened next was astonishing as Laois bowled 5 wickets in just 7 deliveries – a rare site at any level of the game. It began with Armand Smit getting consecutive catches from the last 2 balls of his nine over spell, leaving him with the impressive figures of 5 wickets for 32 runs off 9 overs. With Leinster rattled on 195 for 7, Clint Auret then stepped up and bowled the final three wickets in only 5 balls, giving Laois a 10 run victory in the most dramatic of fashions.
Laois Cricket hopes to conquer Midlands.
Laois Cricket Club is preparing this week to become Midland Cricket Champions for 2009. Midland Cricket Clubs compete each year for this title in the Wallace (first team) and Dick O’Neill (second team) Cup Competitions. This Sunday, Laois will field a team in both finals. The last time Laois succeeded in getting two teams into the finals was in 2002, when both teams went on to win a memorable double.
The Wallace Cup Final will be played at Bagnelstown Cricket Club where the Laois first team will be taking on North Kildare. The Dick O’Neill final will be played nearby at Mount Juliet Cricket Club in Kilkenny, where the Laois second team will be playing against Mullingar seconds.
The first team, lead by Captain Jonny Yasin has struggled a little this year in their Leinster League and Cup campaigns. After receiving a walk-over into the semi-final of the Wallace Cup, they beat Ballaghadreen comprehensively to gain their place in the final. They will be hoping that they can build on their win last Sunday, and can depend on the batting of John Ozenbrook and Rixi Fuller and bowling of Armand Smit and Clint Wilkie to steer them to victory. The injection of enthusiasm into the field this year, inspired by brothers Matt and Clint Auret, will also be pivotal to their efforts towards victory. The second team, captained on Sunday by veteran Adrian Tudor have had a more successful season up to now. They defeated Ballyhaunis and Knockharley on the road to the final. They will be depending heavily on the in-form batting of Mudassir and Clive Wardrop to guide them to victory.
Despite the competitive Leinster leagues (mainly involving Dublin-based teams) dominating the cricket calendar for most of the season, Midlands Cricket is an equally important part of the season for the Laois club. This is mainly due to the manner in which Midlands cricket is historically played, holding firm to some of the more traditional aspects of the game. While Laois have enjoyed success in Leinster in recent years, the winning these two competitions on Sunday remains a coveted prize. Good luck to Jonny, Adrian and their two teams.